Beast Machines The Dinobot Saga Episode1 The Comin
by Churnok
Summary: We felt that Dinobot should have appeared in the Beast Machines series. This is the first in what will hopefully be a series of stories intended to correct that oversite.


**Beast Machines: The Dinobot Saga **

**Episode1: The Coming of Dinobot**

By Churnok & Buto

**Disclaimer:** Darksaber is our creation and is not to be used without our permission. All other Transformers Beast Wars/Machines elements are the copyrights and/or trademarks of Hasbro Inc., and are used here for non-profit entertainment purposes only. For those interested in timelines this timeline diverges from the main one soon after the events in the "Home Soil" episode. Considerable differences between the timelines will occur but the end result will be about the same.

The planet Cybertron was silent save for the armies of Vehicon drones that constantly patrolled its streets and skies under the command of the giant floating head that held the mind of Megatron. Meanwhile, hidden from Megatron's malevolent gaze inside an abandoned building, two techno-organic forms are hard at work on a surveillance system.

"Man. This would be a lot easier if we could transform," muttered the blue and brown bat as he flew another camera into position.

"Nightscream will ya stop yer belly aching," the New York rat exclaimed as he plugged the camera into the network that lead into their base near Cybertron's organic core. "As long as we stay in beast mode da Vehicon sensors can't find us, but if you keep complaining dey is gonna hear us."

"Sorry Rattrap. I' m just tired of setting up these watchtowers. I want to see some action!"

"Slim chance o' dat. Blackarachnia's too focused on Silverbolt and Botanica's too much of a lady to have 'that' kinda fun." Rattrap chuckled as the young Nightscream blushed. "Kid," he said as he tightened the connection, "If ye're gonna hang around me ye're gonna have to stop being so innocent."

Meanwhile, in the deepness of space, outside the sensors of the Cybertronian defense satellites, a small ship scanned the planet. It was small for a normal cruiser, but large for a two-person scout ship. The strangest part about it, however, was the technology it exhibited. It was stone-aged compared to the machines it was observing, well over 4 million years removed, yet its sensors extended farther than the planet's more advanced satellites.

"Lifeforms?" commanded the being inside in a strange voice. Almost as if two people were speaking the same words at the same time.

"Few Cybertronian sparks detected. One matches description of mark," answered a nondescript computer voice. Coordinates displayed themselves on the modified control panel.

There was a pleased reptilian snarl. "Good," the passenger breathed, "take us down. Evasive maneuvers. Don't want those satellites hitting too close, do we?"

"Acknowledged."

Megatron's scanners screamed in warning. The automatic defenses were already firing, but the ship, slow and bulky as it was, seemed to be avoiding most of his precise shots. "What kind of ship?" he demanded of his sensors.

"Unknown, possibly Cybertronian?" his computer replied.

"How could that be?"

"You deleted all Cybertronian history. This includes all ship designs," the computer seemed almost smugly.

"Blast!" Megatron yelled. Then he considered the visual more carefully. "It almost seems like a Decepticon design, but that's impossible! Fire the virus missiles. I find it hard to believe that the occupant is indeed a Decepticon after so many millennia."

"Warning, warning, Viral projectiles detected. Impact with landing equipment is immanent," the ship's computer blared in warning.

"Seal off impact area! Once we're inside the atmosphere, jettison the control pod. Detonate the rest of the ship."

"Acknowledged. Atmospheric penetration in five, four, three, two . . ."

The two Maximals looked up at the sound of the exploding ship, just in time to make out the small capsule being sped from the fireball.

"Wow," Nightscream murmured.

"Looks like some more guests have joined da party," Rattrap said irreverently, "You go welcome our new friend, and I'll go tell boss-monkey."

"How will you know where to find me?" the juvenile bat wondered.

"Oh, knowing you, I'll just follow da explosions."

"Har har," Nightscream said as they parted, Nightscream heading toward the most likely crash site, and Rattrap into the sewers leading to the organic core of Cybertron.

When Nightscream arrived, the crash-site was swarming with Vehicons. Most were focused on the pod, but some were standing guard for the Maximals. As he watched, a couple tank drones trundled closer to the pod and started cutting a door into the seamless side.

"Hmm, die-cast construction," muttered the purple motorcycle Thrust, last of the Vehicon generals, from a safe distance away and just below Nightscream's position, "Cool."

Just before they were done cutting, a blurred form burst through the metal incision. It hurtled past the tank drones while all the Vehicons opened fire, but it was too fast for them to track, its movements too unpredictable. The glowing silver shape moved from drone to drone, slashing through armor and circuits as a superb katana would slice through silk, causing drones to target each other as it moved. Within thirty seconds, the entire strike group, save for Thrust himself, was ripped or blown to shreds.

Not pausing for a second, the bladed terror sped off in the direction of Megatron's head. Nightscream decided to follow, while Thrust cowered, waiting to be turned into confetti while feelings of de'ja'vu .flooded his CPU.

Nightscream lost the silver blur almost as soon as he started to follow it. "He's faster than Cheetor!" exclaimed the dejected bat, "How am I gonna find him now?"

In the quiet, Nightscream heard several more Vehicons meet their fiery fates. "Ah, follow the explosions."

Meanwhile, Megatron, having seen the events through his Vehicons' eyes, prepared his defenses against this silvery blur of destruction. He called his aero-drones in and set up a perimeter, but to no avail, for as soon as the drones got close enough to accurately target it, it jumped on top of them. Using them as stepping-stones on its way up to Megatron, leaving them effectively destroyed as soon as he touched them. Megatron's own weapons were useless against so small a target, in spite of his attempts to blast it to kingdom come.

At the end of the stairs, the creature jumped onto Megatron's giant face, leaving a fraction of a second for his right eye to see sharp teeth before it was smashed. Sensors indicated the creature was now inside and definitely had Cybertronian characteristics.

"Identify yourself, creature!" shouted Megatron inside his own head.

The answering voice came from close to the central chamber, "I am one whom you betrayed, come to collect his vengeance. Show yourself, honor-less coward!"

A glowing wall of data swirled and formed into the image of Megatron's former face. The eyes turned to look at the intruder. "Ah, Dinobot. Amazing! I didn't recognize you. You've acquired a glow since last time we met. Are you pregnant?" mocked the voice.

"I have not come to be distracted by your wizard's tricks!" snarled the silver form, "Come out from the curtain and face me!"

"Ah yes, I'm afraid you're woefully behind the times, my old friend," Megatron mused condescendingly, "You're _inside_ me."

Dinobot snarled, "Then you shall be destroyed _from_ the inside!" The silver velociraptor seemed to glow a bit brighter as he voiced the threat.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Megatron said, as if he were a teacher explaining something to a slow student, "That would interfere with my plans for universal domination." Two syringe-like devices came into view and targeted Dinobot.

"Oh, don't think I'm _that_ easy to kill, you coward," Dinobot grinned as he dodged the twin sprays and sliced open a way into the inner chamber where the sparks that Megatron had captured were being held.

"You may be able to dodge my weapons, but not a magnetic field," the energy face of Megatron smirked as Dinobot flew to one of the chamber walls and stayed there. "Now it's time for your injection." A syringe snaked its way closer to the motionless bot, who glowed brighter with either concentration or anger.

As the syringe was centimeters from his transmetal-two form, Dinobot let out a wave of vicious energy that blew out the magnetic inductors, freeing him from the field. But it was too late to save him from the needle's strike, hitting him in the tail. Dinobot scream of fury turned into pain, as he let out another energy blast, barely missing the spark containment generator.

Disoriented and enraged with the virus quickly taking hold Dinobot ran toward the nearest exit while Megatron tried to regain order within himself. With a scream of rage and pain Dinobot leaped through and shattered Megatron's left eye. Once out he dug his claws into Megatron's face in an effort to slow his descent, but to no avail as he soon began plummeting toward the planet's surface. The virus distorted his body as he fell, trying to force him into him original beast form.

Rattrap and Optimus Primal, a large techno-organic silverback gorilla, had arrived just after Dinobot entered Megatron's head and while Dinobot fought with Megatron Optimus listened to Nightscream's report.

"It was incredible! He wasn't even slowed down by the Airo-drones. He just ran up them like they were a staircase and the plowed through Megatron's eye. Kinda reminded me of something I saw in the historical vids of the battle with Unicron," Nightscream finished breathlessly.

"Sounds like a formidable warrior," Replied Optimus. "Hope it's on our side."

"Heh, sounds like he and Megs are having a wild party up dere," the rat commented as the great blue head began to sway from side to side, "maybe we'll get lucky and dey'll tear each other apart."

At that moment Dinobot burst out from Megatron's remaining eye.

"Den again maybe not."

They watched as halfway down the creature landed on one of the remaining aero-drones and instantly latched onto it, riding it the rest of the way down before shredding it and running off.

"Come on. We've got to find it before the Vehicons do," Optimus shouted as he ran after it.

"And here I thought I had met dis weeks quota fer suicide missions," Rattrap said wryly as he and Nightscream followed close behind.

Two uneventful hours later Optimus suggested they cover more ground by splitting up. So he went towards the industrial area while Rattrap and Nightscream headed for the old Predacon district. Meanwhile, the creature that was Dinobot huddled in the back of an old energon bar. The transformation virus has scrambled his memory to the point where he could only rely on his instincts. Which were telling him to hide.

"Man, I can't believe Optimus talked us into hunting dis whirlin' dervish on a suga high wit' out going back fer reinforcements," Rattrap muttered as they searched the streets for the creature.

"Come-on Rattrap," the bat replied, flying close by. "You saw how quickly that thing took out those Vehicons. Not even the tank drones stood a chance."

"My point exactly kid. If Megatron's heavy hitters didn't last long dat ting will take even less time shreddin' us!"

"But if we could get it to join us we'd have a major weapon against Megatron."

"Yeah, if we can get it ta stop long enough ta listen," Rattrap finished, then stopped in front of the bar where the creature now dwelled. "Hey I remember dis place," he said with wonder. "Da Pit Stop was one of my favorite hangouts before I joined up with Optimus and da rest of da Axlon crew." He chuckled, "does were some good times."

"This place?" Nightscream said with disgust as he landed beside the reminiscing rodent. "But it's right on the borderline between Maximal and Predacon territory."

"Eh so maybe some of da other patrons were da type you didn't want ta meet even in a well lit ally. But dere were also some good people who came here. And da drinks were da best I ever found on da planet. Come on I'll buy ya a cyber-beer," he said as he walked in.

"I don't think we should."

"What. Afraid dey're gonna card ya? We'll be lucky to find any decent booze much less anyone who gives a flip about da rules, and right now I could really use a good stiff drink. Besides, if we find a keg dat's still in decent shape we can drag it back ta base as a treat for da others."

"Oh all right," Nightscream relented and followed Rattrap in. "I guess it couldn't hurt to look. Beside, maybe we'll get lucky and find that thing?"

"Kid," Rattrap snorted, you and me have two different definitions of da word lucky."

The feral Raptor heard noises coming from the entrance to its lair. One of the voices sounded…familiar. Emotions stirred within the beast, feelings of hatred, respect, disgust and…Friendship? Yes, it had known this voice once.

"Ah, now dis brings back memories," the New York rat said as he paused to admire what was left of the bar. Rust covered spots on the walls and ceilings. Everything was dusty from years of disuse. Behind the bar a broken down bartender droid waited for orders that may never be given again.

"Hey Norm!" Rattrap yelled startling the raptor and jerking the bot into action. "Two of yer finest cyber-ales for me and my young friend here," the rat continued as he led Nightscream over to two stools that were still intact.

Whir click, "you have not paid your tab in ten years. I cannot serve you anything until your tab is settled," The droid stated.

"Begin new tab," Rattrap said without pause.

Whir click, "name and voiceprint please."

"Tell 'im yer name kido," Rattrap urged.

"Nightscream," the young bat said uncertainly.

Whir click, "Name and voice code accepted and stored. Identification please."

"Sometimes ya wanna go, where everybody knows yer name," Rattrap sang, "and dey're always glad ya came."

Whir click, "identification accepted. Please state your beverage."

"Two of yer finest cyber-ales my good bot."

Nightscream just stared at the smug rodent in disbelief while the spark-less automaton began to fetch their order.

"How did you do that?"

Rattrap never got the chance to answer, for at that moment the robot got too close to where the raptor was hiding. The confused beast got spooked and jumped, slashing the bar-bot in two.

The Maximals stared in open-mouthed astonishment at the creature that now crouched on the bar. For some reason the virus that had scrambled Dinobot's memory had been unable to completely revert him to his original beast form, leaving a creature that was a jigsaw of organic and transmetal2 bodies. The cyborg raptor glared at the two intruders.

"Ok, kid. We found him. Now what da heck do we do?"

At the sound of Rattrap's voice the creature turned toward him. Again those feelings forced themselves into its feral mind, but before it could make sense of them, the bartender stirred to life.

Whir click, "Sorry buddy, but I insist you take that rough stuff outside," as it said this, it fired a tazer built into its arm. Startling the creature and causing it to bolt past the two startled Maximals.

"Come on, we gotta go after it!" Nightscream shouted as he picked up Rattrap and took off after the Raptor.

"What?" Rattrap exclaimed as he hung from the young bat's feet. "One brush wit' death wasn't enough for ya? Ya gotta try fer two?"

"Didn't you see the way he looked at you?" Nightscream said as he flew. "He obviously recognized you."

"Yeah, as a potential meal."

As they pursued, the raptor ran past Thrust and a team of his Cycle-drones.

"Whoa," shouted Thrust as they skidded to a stop and they began pursuit. "Thrust to Megatron, I'm in pursuit of the target. Send drones to intercept it at these coordinates."

"Acknowledged," came Megatron's reply over the COM. "You are to destroy it at all costs."

"Easier said than done," Thrust muttered.

"Hmm, now where could our new friend be?" Optimus Primal mused. Then he saw the raptor run past, followed by thrust and his drones. "Ah, speak of the devil. Well, time to join the party. I am transformed!" And with that, his body changed from great ape, to ape-like robot warrior and he flew after them with his back jets at full power.

Soon Thrust had chased the cyborg raptor to where two teams of tank and aero-drones waited.

"Drones. Destroy that walking jigsaw!"

"Not so fast biker boy," Optimus shouted as he fired off several energy blasts. Taking out thrust's cycle-drones.

The distraction was all the raptor needed to escape, but instead, it chose to fight alongside this new arrival. His was another familiar voice, and it awoke more feelings inside him. And memories… Memories of never running from a fight! With a savage snarl it torn into the tank drones. Dodging their blasts and slicing through their armor with ease. Within minutes the drones were reduced to scrap.

"Thanks for the help," Optimus said, finishing off the last aero-drone as he landed beside the cyborg raptor now perched on the shredded hull of the last tank drone. The raptor gave a pleased snarled in response.

At that moment Nightscream arrived with Rattrap.

"Yo, Boss monkey. Need a hand?" Rattrap called.

"No thanks. I had… Help?" he replied as he turned to find the cyborg raptor had disappeared. "He was right here." He continued as they landed.

"Ah, looks like we just missed both da action, and a second meeting with Mr. Jurassic jigsaw." Rattrap clapped Nightscream on the back. "Congratulations Bat-boy. Ya got us here just in time."

"We've got to find it," Optimus declared as, in a flash of energy, he reverted to his beast mode.

"Whoa dere boss monkey. You just saw first hand what dat guy could do. I say we go back ta base, gather some reinforcements, and den we come back and hunt down Mr. Whirling dervish ok?"

"Much as I hate to admit it Optimus, Rattrap has a point."

"Very well," Optimus sighed, "let's go home and tell the others.

As they turned to go none of them noticed the mismatched eyes watching them from the shadows of a nearby building. Two of these persons were familiar to it, and it must follow them to find out why.

Unaware of their follower, the Maximals traveled first through sewers, then through rock caverns, to their hidden base near Cybertron's organic core where the graceful plant-bot Botanica cared for their techno-organic garden.

"Hey Optimus," hailed a young cheetah with purple spots, "how're things going topside?"

"Not very well Cheetor," the great ape replied, "That's the reason we've come back down so soon. Someone new just arrived and we need some help to find him before Megatron destroys him."

"You can count me in Big Bot," said Cheetor.

"Me too," said Black Arachnia, a purple spider with yellow mandibles, green eyes, and long slender legs.

"I too shall come," added Black Arachnia's mate Silverbolt, a sour faced, blue and purple harpy eagle.

"Count me out," said Rattrap. One close call wit dat ting was enough fer me."

At that moment they heard a loud crash as a tangled mass struggled free from the garden hissing and snarling at the vines that held it.

"Primus it's da dervish!" Rattrap exclaimed jumping up three feet and back five.

"I take it we weren't expecting company," came Botanica's cultured African voice as her slender brown and green form glided out of the garden.

Optimus just had to laugh. "This guy goes through Megatron's tank drones like a lawn mower through grass and you just managed to subdue him with vines."

"Well, his razor sharp claws are only useful when he can move them. So, while he was busy spying on you, I made sure he was too tied up to move."

"Man you sure did rose-hips," Rattrap commented wryly as he cautiously approached the still struggling creature. "Ida never guessed a lady like yerself would be inta bondage."

A familiar looking convulsion caused the raptor to lash out. Rattrap jumped back in surprise.

"Yeesh. Looks like razor lips don't like innuendoes."

"No, I don't think it lashed out voluntarily," said Optimus as he studied their new guest. I think our friend here is a transformer. Those convulsions are the result of Megatron's transformation virus."

"Can he be reformatted?" Cheetor asked with concern.

"I can try," Optimus replied as he extended his own energies toward the bound raptor. It resisted at first, but then it recognized the energies as being friendly and allowed itself to be transformed by them. In a flash of light the mismatched jigsaw raptor was gone. Replaced by a raptor whose tecno and organic body blended seamlessly together.

"Wha-what happened? Where am I?" the reformatted Dinobot demanded uncertainly. Then he panicked. "Maximal torture chamber!" he exclaimed as he tried to escape only to be restrained by the tecno-organic vines that were still wrapped around him.

"Just relax," Optimus said soothingly though the effort of reformatting Dinobot had obviously drained the great ape. "You're safe here. Among friends."

"And Maximals don't…have…torture chambers," Rattrap started to snap only to trail off as he realized he'd experienced this exact same scene during the early days of the Beast Wars. Memories that had been locked away by his own experience with the transformation virus were suddenly released into his mind. But this couldn't be _him_! Could it?

After he calmed down Dinobot stared at the Maximal leader with growing astonishment. "Optimus?" he said, as if saying the name might shatter the dream, "Optimus Primal?" Then he turned to the others whose voices he had recognized even though their forms were now vastly different. He said each of their names in turn with growing confidence and delight. Cheetor, Black Arachnia, Silverbolt, Vermin!" This last one was directed at Rattrap and was said with such joy that none would have guessed that it was once an insult often spoken as if it rhymed with scum.

Slowly recognition dawned on the named Maximals but Rattrap was the first to voice it.

"Choppa-face?" He said, using one of his own insulting nicknames for the, now midnight black, velosoraptor that stood before him. "I don't slaggin' believe it! It is you!"

Everyone but Nightscream and Botanica gathered around their long lost comrade. Each eager to touch him and make sure he wasn't an illusion as they disentangled him from the vines.

Botanica and Nightscream had not been a part of the Beast Wars so they had no idea who this new warrior was.

"What happened to you? To us?" Dinobot asked.

"It's a long story," Optimus replied, "but first tell us what you can remember. How did you get here?"

"I don't know. The last thing I remember I was fighting with…the wizard of Oz?"

Rattrap gave his old rival a worried look. "Man, Mega-head must've added some new ingredients ta his virus. When we got hit our memories were wiped. Your brain wus scrambled."

"Easy Rattrap. He's just been reformatted and he's obviously disoriented. Let's just give him a few minutes to organize himself."

"So, who is this guy anyway?" asked Nightscream.

"His name is Dinobot," Optimus replied, "And he was one of our greatest allies in the Beast Wars."

"Yeah, and also da biggest pain in my cute furry tush," Rattrap added. "And not just because he wus a Predacon neither, though dat wus a facter."

"This guy your so thrilled about is a Predicreep?" Nightscream was clearly displeased.

"Was boy. I was a Predacon," Dinobot corrected. "In fact I was the only Predacon with any understanding of honor. This is why I left that distasteful band of rust buckets and joined this motley crew of mammals."

"Yeah, even without Dino-butt on their side the Preds still outnumbered us so we were desperate enough to accept anybody," Rattrap chimed in.

"Yes, I think your odorous presence makes the desperation of the maximal forces, both then and now, quite obvious," the raptor quipped."

"Well at least I survived da Beast Wars. You managed to get yerself killed. Twice!"

"Yes, but both times I died with great honor. Saving time itself! You, on the other hand, are such a vile pest that your immortality is guaranteed. For neither the Matrix, nor the pit will accept you!"

The two old rivals glared at each other. Then, after a short pause where it looked like they were about to attack each other…they smiled.

"You know Lizard lips; dis is one of the few tings I actually missed about ya."

"Yes, I too valued our rivalry. It was perhaps, the foundation of our pseudo-friendship."

At that moment Nightscream spoke up, "OK, now that everybody's reacquainted, can we bring the prehistoric cuisinart up to date before all thins mushy stuff makes me nauseous"

"Hmm, a most rude and annoying boy. Is he yours Vermin?" Dinobot asked.

"Hey, don't go blaming bat-boy here on me Ginsu mouth. He was already a hothead when we found him here on Cybertron."

Dinobot was taken aback by Rattrap's last word. "Cybertron? We're on Cybertron?" He considered this information with a stunned expression on his reptilian features. As if realizing an unspeakable horror. Then, before anyone could react, he bolted for the exit screaming the name "Darksaber!"

"After him!" Cheetor yelled. And the other Maximals shook off their shock and ran after their newly restored friend, leaving Optimus and Botanica behind to guard the precious Techno-organic garden.

They managed to keep track of him through the catacombs but lost him as soon as he reached the surface.

"Where could he have gone," inquired Cheetor.

"Under da cuicumstances," Rattrap replied, "where couldn't he have gone?"

"He was shouting someone's name when he left," said Black Arachnia. "So he's probably going to the Predacon residential district to look for her."

"It's a start," said Cheetor. "Rattrap, Black Aracnia, your coming with me to the Predacon residential district. Silverbolt, Nightscream, see if you can spot him from the air, but try not to be seen by Vehicons. Let's go." And with that, they split up. The rat leading the cheetah and the spider to the Predacon residential area while the bat and the harpy eagle took to the skies.

"So, tell me about this dino-dude. What is he like?" Nightscream inquired of the brooding harpy eagle as they flew.

"It was my understanding that you didn't care about the Beast Wars since you had no part in them," Silverbolt replied.

"Yeah, but now that he's come back from the dead, something he's done before if I understand correctly, I want to know what to expect."

Silverbolt sighed, "Rattrap would be the best person to ask. Despite their almost constant fighting he and Dinobot were close. What I can tell you is that Dinobot valued honor, enjoyed a good fight, and he is one of the greatest warriors I've ever had the pleasure to fight alongside."

"Whoa. Sounds like quite the guy."

"Yes, this is why we must find him before the Vehicons corrupt him the way they did me. His skill in battle would be very valuable to us."

While the bird and the bat flew on in silence Rattrap led Cheetor and Black Aracnia to the Pit Stop, the bar where he first encountered Dinobot.

"Rattrap, we don't have time to visit one of your old dives," Cheetor snapped as the rat poked his nose into the bar. "We have to find Dinobot."

"Dat's exactly what I'm tryin' ta do here spots. Dis is where I first remade acquaintance with Dino-butt. Considerin' da state Megatron's virus left him in, dis place musta been familiar ta him."

"So you figure he'd come back here?"

"Dat and he must've lived and/or worked near here."

"So where do we start looking?" asked Black Arachnia.

At that moment Cheetor saw a familiar looking shadow race across the street.

"There he goes," the young cheetah shouted as he ran after the raptor shadow. Black Arachnia and Rattrap followed close behind.

They found Dinobot in one of the old factories, doing his best to cradle a spark-less female transformer body in arms that weren't designed to hold something so gently.

Rattrap was the first to approach the grieving warrior.

"So, who wus she/"

"She was my mate," Dinobot said sadly. "Tell me Vermin. What has happened to Cybertron? What vile force could kill the inhabitants of an entire world but leave their bodies, and everything else, intact?"

"It's a long story, and I tink it's one we better save for when we're back at base."

"No! I will know now!"

Well, okay, but right after I tell ya we gotta head back ta base okay?"

"Agreed."

And so Rattrap told Dinobot what he knew about how they had captured Megatron at the end of the Beast Wars. How, on the way back to Cybertron, Megatron had broken free of the shuttle. And how they had returned to Cybertron to find that Megatron had managed to get there ahead of them and take over by means of a transformation virus that paralyzed both Predacons and Maximals, allowing Megatron's Vehicon drones to extract their sparks, and give him control of Cybertron. And how the Maximals had escaped destruction and became reformatted into their techno-organic forms by the Oracle deep within Cybertron.

"But how could he have done this so quickly?" Dinobot asked after Rattrap was finished.

"We don't know," Cheetor answered as he walked towards them. "All we do know is that he has everyone's spark trapped some where. Probably in that floating head of his."

Dinobot snarled, "Then I shall tear his floating head to scrap until I find the spark of my beloved and reunite her with her body!"

"I'm afraid that's just not in the script," came the smug voice of Thrust as the purple cycle-bot rolled out of the shadows on his single wheel. His cycle drones also rolled into the room surrounding the Maximals. "In fact, we're about to rehearse your death scene."

Dinobot watched as his friends simultaneously shouted, "I am transformed!" In a flash of light they were each transformed from Techno-organic beast to techno- organic robot warriors ready to battle the cycle and aero drones that's were now swarming into the factory.

Cheetor became a humanoid cheetah, slicing through the enemy drones with twin cutlasses. Black Aracnia became a tall, beautiful, purple woman with long, dark blue hair, three extra pairs of eyes on her forehead and two spider legs behind her more human looking legs which she used to send directed blasts of disruptive energy through the floor at the drones. Rattrap's transformation was less impressive, but more unusual. For while above the waist he too became a humanoid robot with rat-like aspects, most noticeable in his rat-like human face, below the waist he had, in addition to his tail, not a pair of legs, but a pair of large wheels with the new Maximal symbol on their hubcaps. Despite this variation he fought no less valiantly then his comrades. Zooming through the Vehicon ranks to create confusion and throwing bombs that exploded into capture vines.

The Maximals fought hard, but Dinobot could tell that they were hopelessly outflanked and outnumbered and would soon fall.

"No!" he said to himself. "Megatron has taken my mate! He has taken my world! He shall not take my friends! This I swear, Megatron, will, not, **Win!!!**" and with a roar of rage and a surge of light Dinobot began his own transformation.

Deep within the caverns of Cybertron Optimus Primal gasps.

"Optimus what is it?" asks a concerned Botanica.

"I sense a great power. A power I haven't felt since…"

Back on the surface both Maximals and Vehicons stop their fighting to watch as Dinobot is enveloped by a blinding light. Gently the glowing form of Dinobot lays down his mate's lifeless body and begins his metamorphosis. As he changes a katanna, sheathed on his mate's back, also begins to glow as it slowly unsheathes itself and floats gently towards Dinobot. Changing as it does so until it fits perfectly into his transformed hand. Once it's in his grasp he raised it up high above his head and roared an animalistic battle cry as the remaining energy shoots up the sword and through the ceiling. Lighting the Cybertronian sky like a beacon.

"What the chrome is That?" Nightscream demands as he and Silverbolt watch the pillar of light erupt from nowhere.

"An invitation," the Harpy eagle replies as he and the young bat changed course to investigate.

"An invitation to what?"

"An invitation to come and find out."

Soon after the light appeared, it disappeared. Leaving in its place a black scaled athletically built, techno-organic humanoid raptor with blood red serpent eyes, holding up a slender sword with a glowing dark blue blade.

"I am a warrior," the newly transformed Dinobot stated coldly as he brought the katanna down to a two handed grip. The razor sharp edge pointed directly at thrust. "Let the battle be joined."

The other Maximals watched in amazement as their newly transformed old friend began slicing through the Vehicon ranks with the speed of a ninja and the precisian of a surgeon. Even the aero drones proved to be of little use, for while they stayed near the ceiling, away from Dinobot's slashing blade, they could not hit him. Their numerous blasts either missed completely, were deflected by a cycle drone thrown in the blast path, or were absorbed by the glowing katanna. Making it glow even brighter.

Soon thrust was the only Vehicon that remained on the ground, but Dinobot ignored him and threw his glowing sword at the center of the circling swarm of aero drones where it skewered one of their number and discharged its built up energy. The resulting explosion destroyed half the swarm and left the rest too damaged to continue. The katanna, now drained of its energy but undamaged by the explosion, fell from the sky and landed point first in the ground.

The black scaled raptor-bot glared at Thrust and snarled, "Crawl back to your master and tell him that he shall pay for his crimes with his spark, and Cybertron will be free of his tyranny even if it takes my last breath. So swears Dinobot."

As soon as the Vehicon general had sped off Dinobot walked over to his sword, pulled it from the ground, cleaned it, sheathed it on his back, and collapsed. Returning to his beast form before he hit the ground.

He came to an hour later with a groan and opened his eyes to find one of the ugliest, most annoying creatures it had ever been his honor to call an ally.

"Good morning Star-shine," said Rattrap with a smug smile. He had returned to his beast mode. "Have a nice nap?"

"Unn, I was better off dead," Dinobot said with a groan. "At least then I didn't have to see your ugly face."

"Yer no centerfold yerself ya know."

"True," Dinobot said as he stood up, "but at least my face serves a purpose. It strikes fear into the sparks of my opponents. You, Vermin," he said with a smirk, "are just ugly."

"Were thy always like this?" asked Nightscream as he and the other Maximals entered the room in their respective beast forms.

"Nah," Replied Cheetor with a chuckle, "they're just getting warmed up."

"Most of the time about the only thing they could agree on was to fight the Predacons," said Optimus, "and even during those battles they somehow managed to argue with each other." He turned to the raptor. "How are you feeling old friend?"

"I was feeling like I was breathing toxic fumes," he replied." "Then I came to and found garbage breath here breathing on me."

Rattrap rolled his eyes, "and ta think, I actually missed dis guy."

Optimus let Rattrap's comment slide and continued talking with Dinobot, "the others told me what happened up there, but I want to hear it from your point of view."

"I don't remember much I'm afraid," the black scaled raptor admitted. "I remember holding my mate in my arms, seeing my friends fighting against uncountable odds, and the certainty that I cannot allow this to happen. That I cannot allow Megatron this victory, just seemed to explode out of me, transforming me into a warrior capable of fighting back. After that, it's all a blur. My mind clouded by an unstoppable berserker rage. During that time the only thing I knew was that all drones must be destroyed."

"Cheetor told me that after you destroyed the drones you swore an oath?"

"Yes, that part I remember clearly. And I intend to keep that oath."

"I know you will. We all want to see Megatron's downfall, but I don't want you going off alone against him. You're a part of a team, a family, and I expect us all to work together."

"Agreed. I would swear fealty on my mate's sword if I knew where it was."

"It became a part of you when you transformed," Said Cheetor.

"Yes, that's fitting since it was forged from old parts of both of us," Dinobot mused as he began to reminisce. "I had gathered the material in secret. Weeks before our marriage, then had a friend who was skilled in old weapons technology forge them into an Energo Sword like the ones used by the original Dinobots, only in the style of a Japanese Katanna. In this way it represented both my interest in the history of the great war, and her interest in earth martial arts and oriental weapons. It was my wedding gift to her."

The great ape laid his hand on the grieving warrior's shoulder. "We'll get her spark back from Megatron," He promised, "and then you can use this sword to renew your marriage vows."

"In da mean time," Rattrap broke in. "We'll just keep her body safe here with us. Dat way, old Negatron can't get de idea ta hold her hostage."

Dinobot looked at his friends in surprise. "You brought Darksaber's body here?"

"It was Rattrap's idea," said Nightscream gesturing toward the rat. "He said that you'd be able to keep your mind on the job if you didn't have to worry about her body being melted down."

"Besides," Rattrap added mainly to dispel the idea of him being a softie, "I figured, since I saved yer better half's body, dat now you owe me one."

"Thank you my friend," Said Dinobot. Then a look of puzzlement crossed his features, "but I thought your name was Vermin."

The other Maximals laughed Rattrap just shrugged it of, "nah, dat's just the nickname you called me the most. Just like I always called you chopper-face. Come on, let's go visit yer old lady an den go fer a beer at da Pit Stop."

While the two rivals walked off the other Maximals returned to their usual duties around the base. All except one.

"He is a crude rodent," Botanica thought to herself as she watched Rattrap, "but he does have his thoughtful side." She shook herself out of her reverie, refusing to admit, even to herself, that she was becoming attracted to the rat as she returned to tending the garden.

Meanwhile, on the surface of Cybertron Megatron's newly repaired head glared down at Thrust.

"How could you let yourself be defeated so easily?" Megatron demanded.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know the new guy could move that fast?" Thrust replied. "Besides, unlike you with your great power to control everything I was only designed to control Cycle drones. Now that Jetstorm's succumbed to the light-side and become Silverbolt again you have me trying to control his jets too and that's a strain on my cerebral circuitry."

Megatron's head floated silently in thought for a moment before saying, "You have a point. Perhaps I have been expecting too much from you. Especially considering who you used to be. Very well. If Optimus Primal can add to his forces then so shall I. I shall use the sparks of Cybertron's greatest generals to create a fighting force that will crush the Maximals! Perhaps I can even use that traitorous Dinobot's own love against him! Yes! Even with Dinobot return, their next battle shall at last be their finally!" The skies of Cybertron filled with his maniacal laughter.

END


End file.
